TOEIC

The TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) is a standardized English test oriented towards professionals and companies. The TOEIC is actually two separate tests, one which tests the receptive English skills (reading and listening) and one which tests the productive English skills (speaking and writing). Students can choose to take both TOEIC tests, or just one of the two, depending on their needs. The structure of each of the two tests is unique and the scoring is also different. There are a variety of TOEIC preparation methods available, from self-study to courses and practice tests.

The TOEIC reading and listening test is the more popular of the two TOEIC tests. It is administered in test centers on paper and gives a score between 10 and 990. English reading skills and English listening skills are weighted equally on this test, with half of the final score coming from each.

The TOEIC speaking and writing test is taken on a computer. This version of the TOEIC does not involve an examiner, rather, the student records his spoken answers to recorded or written prompts, and types his written answers for the written portion. Again, written and spoken English are equally weighted in this test. The student’s final score is between 0 and 400.

The TOEIC is a product of ETS, an American non-profit organization, which also makes the TOEFL, another standardized English test geared towards a more academic audience.